NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy companies from 10 countries spanning 5 continents tonight received honors for leadership, innovation and exemplary performance at the 20th annual S&P Global Platts Global Energy Awards, often described as the "Oscars" of energy. The program bestowed 21 awards upon companies and individuals before nearly 500 energy and finance executives, at a black-tie ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in lower Manhattan. For a third year, CNBC Television Energy Correspondent Jackie DeAngelis emceed.

"I'm pleased that the 20th year of the Awards program not only brought record industry participation, but it also elicited nominations from more than 40 countries, demonstrating its ever-increasing global footprint," said Martin Fraenkel, president of S&P Global Platts. "Not surprising, technology resonated in nearly every category and each and all winners and finalists deserve recognition for their continued advancements of the energy industry at large."

WINNERS Winning "Energy Company of the Year," Houston-based Cheniere Energy, Inc. was lauded by the independent judges panel for "extraordinary" performance, as well, its ability to both "dominate and disrupt"' the status quo in the energy markets. A repeat winner of the "Award of Excellence: LNG," Cheniere was applauded for helping to lead the United States to the status of net exporter of natural gas in 2017 for the first time in nearly 60 years. Judges were impressed with Cheniere's rapid growth since first exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Sabine Pass in early 2016, and its subsequent delivery of 400-plus LNG cargoes to more than two dozen countries on five continents.

LNG was also central to this year's choice for "Emerging Technology of the Year." Spain's largest integrated gas and electricity company, Naturgy, took the honors for what judges called "its revolutionary method" of supplying LNG to small-and medium-scale users by improving "economy and affordability" through its first-of-kind floating, eco-friendly LNG ship-to-shore transport system.

The 2018 "Rising Star Award: Company" title went to UK's Limejump, for what judges called its 'pioneering' Virtual Power Plant, that optimizes real-time grid utilization opportunities through its software, optimization engine and smart box, using big data and cloud-based innovation. Judges noted that smaller generators, such as wind and solar, have been better able to directly compete with large power plants in the wake of Limejump's entry to the national grid to balance supply and demand in real-time.

Walking away with "Rising Star-Individual Award" was Christoffer Berg Lassen, chief commercial officer at Bunker Holding of Denmark, parent company of a group of companies specializing in the purchase, sale and supply of fuel- and lube-oil to ships and risk management. Judges pointed to Lassen's rapid ascent from trainee at subsidiary Dan-Bunkering, to CEO, and to Bunker Holding executive board within 14 years and oversight of 43 businesses in 26 countries. Noting his deal-making abilities, judges noted his three mergers and acquisitions in less than 4 years and multiple new technology initiatives.

Able to maintain a "flexible outlook" and tackle "seemingly insurmountable obstacles"' are descriptions judges used for their "CEO of the Year" pick: Thomas Fanning of Southern Company. In one of the hotly contested award categories, Fanning was lauded for his diversification of the company's generation fleet, expertise across numerous functional positions in eight business units, thriving portfolio success, as well as his work outside the company, at the Conference of Chairs of the Federal Reserve Banks and Edison Electric Institute.

Also hotly contested, was the "Grid Edge Award," which went to California-based Greenlots, a global provider of electric vehicle charging and grid management software. Judges saluted Greenlots for its pioneering work on the grid edge, finding it uniquely positioned to scale electric vehicle charging networks to meet global demand. Judges praised Greenlots' open-standards software, which allows customers to manage their charging while also ensuring that grid operators can balance activity in their regions - enabling control from "both sides of the power story."

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT HONORS Winning "Lifetime Achievement Award" was Ron Corio, founder of Array Technologies, Inc. Although the US solar industry was nascent in 1989 when Corio formed his company and built the first solar tracker enabling panels to follow the sun, judges were impressed that this "Godfather of Solar" helped propel the industry at large to record-pace growth through his innovation and stewardship.

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